‘I don’t want to be remembered for this’ – boxer says he was suicidal on day he battered pet dog

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Published:15:43Thursday 05 November 2015

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A former boxer who used his dog as a punch bag has apologised for the ‘10 seconds of madness’ he said happened after a suicide attempt.

Paul Quarmby, 42, fears he will only be remembered for the brutal attack on his dog Ajax while his community and charity work fades into insignificance.

Speaking after the court case, the dad-of-one admitted that he could not say sorry enough for the incident, which he said occurred while he was suicidal.

“I’m just really sorry,” he said. “It was a 10-second bit of madness.

“I was in the middle of splitting up with my partner and was in financial difficulties.

“I took to drugs and alcohol to try to cope with it, and I took it out on the dog.

“The first time I saw the CCTV I couldn’t believe it was me because I couldn’t remember it. I had tried to overdose on that particular day. I wanted to kill myself.”

Mr Quarmby is well aware how people react to cases of animal cruelty.

“I’ve had threats and I’ve got to face that,” he said. “I feel absolutely disgusted with myself and I’ve had help from my doctor and psychiatrist now.

“I have raised over £20,000 for charity over 22 years. A lot of people are going to say that is nothing now. I don’t want to only be remembered by this one bad incident in my life and I hope that is not the case.”

Mr Quarmby plans to donate money to the RSPCA as a way of showing his remorse.

“I’m going to work with the RSPCA and make a big donation,” he added, “because I think they are a big part of the emergency services.”

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